Uniform diffuse omni-directional reflecting lens

ABSTRACT

A transparent multi-layer lens construction to be worn as a sunglass lens, or a fashion lens, that reflects light in a diffuse manner. The multi-layer lens construction is, in part, a combination of surface form and surface texture combined with a reflective medium and an anti-reflective coating. The present invention offers vast improvements over previously disclosed lens constructions in that it provides for both improved reflectivity and improved optical quality.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

For a sunglass or sunglass lens to be successful in the high-endsunglass marketplace the product must have good optics and goodaesthetics. In the last twenty years sunglass designs, in terms ofoptics and frames, have advanced significantly. The marketplace ishighly competitive and it is very difficult for a new product, usingexisting methods, designs and know how, to stand out from the rest. Thedesigns and technologies used in the manufacture of sunglasses have beenhighly perfected and standardized. And, as a result, sunglass types thatare successful all share those same basic designs and technologies and,as a result, look substantially alike.

Virtually all sunglass lenses produce a pronounced specular reflectionin that they reflect images of their environmental surroundingscorresponding to the light that is impinging on the lens, similar to theway light reflects off a windowpane. Specular reflection is the type ofreflection seen by a person when looking into a windowpane or a mirror.The described reflection is an inherent byproduct of a typical untreatedsurface that is optically smooth. When a highly reflective coating, suchas a mirror coating, is applied to the surface of an optical lens itsimply accentuates the reflective nature of that lens. One of thedesirable functions of a sunglass lens among many consumers is that itconceal the wearer's eyes from an observer's point of view. In the caseof a lens that does not have a mirror coating, it is dark tint incombination with the natural reflection off the surface of the lens thatconceals the eyes of the wearer. Except in the case where a sunglasslens incorporates an encapsulated specular reflecting mirror coating,anti-reflective coatings are seldom placed on the front side of asunglass lens. This is because it would be much easier for an observerto see through the lens to the eyes of the wearer. In the case ofsunglass lenses, anti-reflective coatings are usually only employed onthe backside of the lens adjacent the wearer's eyes, in which case theanti-reflective coating serves only to enhance the optics and doesnothing to detract or enhance the aesthetic appearance of the lens froman observer's point of view. By placing the anti-reflective coating onthe backside only, the reflection off the front of the lens ispreserved. For conventional sunglass lenses, specular reflection isnormally central to the design objective of the lens. For a sunglassconsumer, the fashion choice among lenses is generally limited to lensesthat reflect images of their surroundings, minimally or significantly,depending on whether or not they are mirror coated.

Past inventors have attempted to design a lens that departs from what iscommonly expected in a sunglass lens by creating a lens that reflectslight in a manner that features images of objects, faces, logos, lettersor words. These attempts have incorporated reflective coated holographicdiffraction patterns, also known as holograms, bas-reliefs, and surfaceetchings, such as photographic etchings, in a lens construction. Imagesthat have been described in the prior art include faces of people,skulls, worms, eyeballs, and other types of inanimate objects such asmonetary coins and nails, as well as logos. Holograms are used to createpredetermined light wave interference patterns in reflected light toform the appearance of a desired image. Bas-reliefs and photo etchingsare used to create varying shades of light and dark areas inpredetermined patterns of reflected light to create a desired image.Other prior art described the use of alternating transparent colors tocreate the appearance of decorative patterns, such as a star pattern, inreflected light.

U.S. Pat. No. 4,315,665 first formulated the idea of creating a sunglasslens that features decorative images of objects and light patterns inreflected light by encapsulating a reflective coated light diffractionpattern, also known as a hologram, between two optically clear layers.Light diffraction patterns in particular are problematic in that theycause substantial internal reflections. There have been numerous laterattempts to create a marketable sunglass type lens that reflects imagesof objects, faces, and/or logos. U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,934,792 and 5,073,009describe similar lens constructions employing reflective coatedbas-reliefs and photographic etchings to feature images of objects andpictures in reflected light, such as a silver dollar coin or aphotographic image. U.S. Pat. No. 6,793,339 describes an etching processto create the appearance of a decorative logo, in combination withspecular reflection to create a glossy appearance. Without exception,these prior art examples describe lens constructions that reflect imagesof objects, faces, logos or words as well as reflect images ofenvironmental surroundings due to specular reflection.

U.S. Pat. Nos. 6,231,183 and 6,719,928, authored by the presentinventor, describe a lens that reflects light but reflects almost noimage. In this prior art the vast majority of the light being reflectedby the lens came from an encapsulated reflective coating contoured byeither a brushed surface finish or a matte surface finish. The describedsurface finish was used to break up reflected light so the reflectivecoating would not produce a specular reflection that would otherwise beapparent to an observer. Additionally, anti-reflective coatings wereapplied, primarily to the front surface of the lens. The anti-reflectivecoatings were employed to remove or substantially reduce the specularreflection coming off of the front lens surface, which would otherwisenegate the effect of the matte or brushed finish and the lensconstruction as a whole. Without the inclusion of the anti-reflectivecoating, the lens construction would still produce reflections in theform of images because, in addition to light being reflected off theencapsulated reflective coating, a high percentage of light would alsobe reflected off the optically smooth outer surface of the lens, thusproducing a specular reflection similar to that of a window pane orconventional sunglass lens. In most natural lighting conditions, thespecular reflection coming from the optically smooth surface would alsopartially conceal the reflection produced by the reflective coating.This prior art recognized the inherent difficulty of matching refractiveindices associated with lens constructions of earlier prior art. Inresponse to these shortcomings, the referenced prior art of the presentinventor described a lens construction that incorporated a texturedfinish with a reflective medium applied thereon encapsulated within alens construction that guaranteed matched refractive indices in thecritical area of the lens construction. It has since been discoveredthat perfectly matching the refractive indices do not in itselfeliminate all of the problems associated with such a lens constructionas a whole. The matte finish of the prior art was created as a dullfinish having little to no contrast in reflected light. The matte finishwas found to have significant limitations in terms of achieving bothgood optics and good reflective characteristics. The problem with amatte finish is that it diffuses reflected light too much. The termcontrast is meant to describe the appearance of light reflected off asurface. If a bright light impinges on a spherical surface having anoptically smooth surface finish, a distinct reflection of the incidentlight reflecting off the surface will appear at a single point on thespherical surface. This is because an optically smooth surface exhibitshigh contrast. If a similar spherical surface having a surface finishwith little or no contrast, such as a matte finish, is highlighted withthe same bright light, a large portion of the surface area will beilluminated simultaneously. This is because a matte finish exhibits lowcontrast. On a matte finish, the contrast is low because reflected lightis scattered to a high degree and, because the reflected light isscattered to a high degree, the brightness of the reflection is reduced.It has been found that a surface finish having exceedingly low contrastdoes not produce a bright enough reflection when encapsulated within alens construction. As described, the present inventors prior art lenswas designed so that the majority of the reflected light comes from theencapsulated reflective medium within the lens. Therefore, if thereflection produced by the reflective medium is not bright enough, lightis more easily transmitted from the wearer's side of the lens to anobserver's side of the lens. Thus, the majority of the reflectionproduced by the reflective medium is canceled out, making it easier foran observer to see through the lens to the eyes of the wearer. In aneffort to increase its reflectivity, increased amounts of a reflectivemedium, such as chromium, were applied to the matte finish. In doing soit became evident that there is a limit as to how much reflective mediumshould be applied to a lens construction, beyond which the opticalperformance of the lens is degraded. When using metallic reflectivemediums, such as chromium or aluminum, increasing the amount of thereflective medium produces a brighter reflection but correspondinglyreduces the amount of light capable of being transmitted. In addition tothe reflective medium, there is also a light-absorbing element in theform of tint or a polarized film positioned between the reflectivemedium and the eye of the wearer. In addition to absorbing the brightlight of the sun, the light-absorbing element serves to absorb lightbeing reflected off of the reflective medium back toward the eye of thewearer (back reflection). The use of more reflective medium increasesthe brightness of the resulting reflection, thus requiring a darker tintto attenuate the back reflection. The result of using too muchreflective medium is that the lens becomes too dark, which reduces itsability to transmit light. A properly constructed lens of this typerequires a balance between the light transmittance level of thereflective medium and the light transmittance level of thelight-absorbing element. This is so that the final lens constructionwill transmit an acceptable amount of light as outlined by theappropriate American National Standards Institute (ANSI) standards forsunglass lenses. If the only objective is to create a surface thatreflects bright enough, then an unlimited amount of reflective mediumcould be applied to the surface finish. When operating within theconstraints of an optical lens, however, there are limits as to what canbe achieved with a given design such as the matte finish. In this caseit proved difficult to achieve an acceptable amount of brightness inreflected light while maintaining a sufficient amount of lighttransmission. As described, the anti-reflective coating doessignificantly reduce the reflection off the front surface of the lens ofthe prior art. However, anti-reflective coatings produce specularreflections of their own. For example, different types ofanti-reflective coatings reflect in different colors, such as blue,green or red. The main purpose of nearly all anti-reflective coatings isto substantially eliminate white light reflection. If an anti-reflectivecoating is applied to a common dark lens, the result is that there willbe a slight colored mirror effect, whether it be blue/purple, green orred. This is a common effect that can be seen on the backside ofconventional sunglass lenses to which an anti-reflective coating hasbeen applied. If an anti-reflective coating is applied to a clearuncolored lens, such as a lens used in a reading glass, the coloredreflection is less obvious because light is easily transmitted from thewearer's side of the lens to the observer's side of the lens, thuswashing out the specular reflection of the anti-reflective coating. Inthe case of a matte finish lens, in which the reflection is highlydiffused, the specular reflection of the anti-reflective coating isreadily apparent in incident light, which detracts from the desiredeffect of the lens. The only way to overcome and effectively compensatefor the inherent reflection of the anti-reflective coating is toincrease the brightness of the reflective medium, which, as previouslydescribed, caused difficulties in terms of reduced light transmissionand increased back reflection. The brushed finish was to found to bevery problematic but for different reasons. While the brushed finishreflects brightly, it exhibits a more serious problem of internalreflection. The brushed finish incorporated in the lens construction ofthe prior art is defined by scratch lines or grooves that are generallylinear and generally parallel to one another. The brushed finishreflects light in a bidirectional manner, meaning that it reflects lightpredominantly in two directions perpendicular to the grooved or scratchlines defining the brushed finish. This lens construction, as worn in aneyewear frame, produces a very sharp reflection within the lens viewableby the wearer whenever facing a bright light source such as the sun. Thereflections can be so pronounced that one needs only to be facing in thegeneral direction of the sun to have a spire like reflection,corresponding to the bi-directional reflective appearance of the lens,come into view. The appearance from a wearer's point of view is similarto that of an oily smear on the surface of a lens when viewed in directlight. Many variations were tested with practically no success inovercoming the internal reflections attributed to the brushed finish. Itwas found that the more parallel the scratches, or grooves, defining thebrushed finish were, the more intense and pronounced the internalreflection. In an effort to reverse the problem, the scratch lines, orgrooves, defining the brushed finish were made to be more divergent, orless parallel, by crisscrossing them in varying degrees. The moredivergent the brushed lines were made to be the wider the reflectionfanned out from the point where incident light strikes the surface ofthe lens as viewed from an observer's point of view. Correspondingly,the internal reflection affected a greater surface area of the lens, asviewed from a wearer's point of view. Different types of reflectivemediums as well as improved anti-reflective coatings were tried. In allcases internal reflections remained, though in varying degrees, none ofwhich proved satisfactory. Essentially, it was found that a lensconstruction having a bi-directional reflecting brushed finishhighlighted by a reflective medium encapsulated within a lensconstruction inherently produces distracting internal reflections. Thereflection, as viewed by an observer, generated by the brushed finishposed yet another problem. As previously stated, the brushed finishreflects brightly but because it reflects bi-directionally, when inbright light, unless properly positioned relative to the brushedfinished lens and a given light source, a direct reflection from thereflective medium will not be apparent to an observer which in turnmakes it more easy for an observer to see the eyes of the wearer. Aswith the matte finish lens of the prior art, the brushed finish lens wasdesigned to cause the majority of the reflected light to come from theencapsulated reflective medium within the lens. Therefore, if thereflection produced by the reflective medium is unobserved or is notsufficiently bright, light is more easily transmitted from the wearer'sside of the lens to the observers side of the lens, thus canceling anyreflection produced by the reflective medium and making it easier for anobserver to see through the lens to the eyes of the wearer. Theresulting lens constructions of this prior art demonstrated that thebrushed finish and the matte finish provided inherently poor optics inthat they both exhibited poor reflective characteristics and, primarilyin the case of the brushed finish, caused severe internal reflections.In order to increase the light transmission of the matte finish lensconstruction, the amount of reflective medium had to be reduced, whichfurther reduced its reflective characteristics. In order to reduce theseverity of the internal reflections of the brushed finish lensconstruction, the amount of reflective medium had to be reduced, therebyfurther reducing its reflective characteristics. The combination ofoptical performance and reflectivity must be properly balanced and thatin order to do so and meet the design criteria set forth in the currentinvention a new type of reflecting surface must be provided for.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The present invention is referred to as a Uniform DiffuseOmni-directional Reflecting Lens, and is a multi-layer sunglass lensthat reflects light in a diffuse manner. The Uniform DiffuseOmni-directional Reflecting Lens exhibits a soft contrast lustroussatin-like appearance from an observer's point of view that transmitslight like a conventional sunglass lens. The Uniform DiffuseOmni-directional Reflecting Lens is distinguishable over the prior artin that it exhibits good reflective properties, does not causedistracting internal reflections, and reflects light in a diffusemanner. The Uniform Diffuse Omni-directional Reflecting Lensincorporates an anti-reflective coating or surface treatment incombination with a lens element having a reflecting surface hereinafterreferred to as a Diffuse Reflecting Form Texture. The Diffuse ReflectingForm Texture reduces the amount of contrast that would normally appearin light reflected off an optically smooth or highly polished surface. Alens of the type disclosed herein is significant and advantageous inthat it provides manufacturers and consumers a distinctly new andpractical fashion lens option. It is further anticipated that the lensof the present invention can be used to create protective eyewear formilitary use, wherein dielectric reflective coatings can be used toprovide protection from laser light. Specially designed dielectricreflective coatings are commonly used in eyewear for such militaryapplications. These dielectric coatings are normally very bright inappearance. By employing these types of reflective coatings inaccordance with the present invention, a lens having the same filteringcapabilities can be created in which the resulting reflection is subduedby diffusing the brightness of the reflection. Such an effect isadvantageous in that it reduces the observability of the resultingeyewear. The Uniform Diffuse Omni-directional Reflecting Lens may bemanufactured as a curved lens, such as spherically curved, or a flatlens and may be mounted in a conventional type of eyewear system havingtwo lenses or a unitary lens eyewear system having a single lens such asa unitary lens sunglass or a goggle.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a front plan view of an uncut lens in accordance with thepresent invention.

FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional diagram of the lens of FIG. 1 taken alongsection line A-A.

FIG. 3A is a front plan view of a stainless steel reflecting surfacethat simulates the reflective characteristics of the lens of FIG. 1.

FIG. 3B is a side view of the stainless steel reflecting surface of FIG.3A illustrating how light reflects off that surface.

FIG. 3C is a front plan view of the stainless steel reflecting surfaceof FIG. 3A showing how light reflects off that surface.

FIG. 4A is a front plan view of another stainless steel reflectingsurface that reflects light in a bi-directional manner.

FIG. 4B is a side view of the stainless steel reflecting surface of FIG.4A illustrating how light reflects off that surface.

FIG. 4C is a front plan view of the stainless steel reflecting surfaceof FIG. 4A showing how light reflects off that surface.

FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional instructional diagram of a textured surfaceillustrating the measurement of surface features.

FIG. 6A is a front plan view of one of the lens elements of FIG. 2.

FIG. 6B is a cross-sectional diagram of the lens element of FIG. 6Ataken along section line A-A.

FIG. 6C is a cross-sectional diagram showing the application of areflective medium to the lens element of FIGS. 6A and 6B.

FIG. 7A is a front plan view of the lens element of FIG. 6A illustratinga variation thereof.

FIG. 7B is a cross-sectional diagram of the lens element of FIG. 7Ataken along section line A-A.

FIG. 7C is a cross-sectional diagram showing the application of areflective medium to the lens element of FIGS. 7A and 7B.

FIG. 8 is a cross-sectional view of the lens of FIGS. 1 and 2illustrating a variation thereof that incorporates the lens element andreflective medium of FIG. 7C.

FIG. 9 is a cross-sectional view of the lens of FIGS. 1 and 2illustrating a variation thereof that incorporates the lens element andreflective medium of FIG. 6C.

FIG. 10 is a cross-sectional view of the lens of FIGS. 1 and 2illustrating a variation thereof that incorporates the lens element andreflective medium of FIG. 7C.

FIGS. 11A-11C are cross-sectional diagrams illustrating various ways ofincorporating a polarized film in the lens of FIGS. 1 and 2.

FIG. 11D is a cross-sectional diagram illustrating a way ofincorporating a polarized film in the lens of FIGS. 1 and 8.

FIG. 12A is a cross-sectional diagram of the lens of FIGS. 1 and 2illustrating the manner in which light reflects off the surface of thelens without an anti-reflective coating.

FIG. 12B is a cross-sectional diagram of the lens of FIGS. 1 and 2illustrating the manner in which light reflects off the surface of thelens with an anti-reflective coating.

FIG. 13A is a pictorial diagram illustrating a perimeter of the uncutlens of FIG. 1.

FIG. 13B is a front plan view of the lens of FIG. 1 illustrating theperimeter thereof after being cut down to a desired shape and size.

FIG. 14 is a pictorial diagram of a dual-lens eyewear systemillustrating the lens of FIG. 13B preparatory to being installed in thedual-lens eyewear system.

FIG. 15 is a front plan view of a unitary lens of the present inventionillustrating a typical perimeter thereof.

FIG. 16 is a pictorial diagram of the unitary lens of FIG. 15 installedin a typical goggle.

FIG. 17 is a front plan view of the uncut lens of FIGS. 1 illustrating amajor optical area thereof.

FIG. 18 is a front plan view of the lens of FIG. 13B illustrating amajor optical area thereof.

FIG. 19 is a front plan view of the unitary lens of FIG. 15 illustratinga major optical area thereof.

DESCRIPTION OF PREFERRED EMBODIMENT

The Uniform Diffuse Omni-directional Reflecting Lens of the presentinvention, hereinafter referred to as a Diffuse Reflecting Lens, is amulti-layer lens construction to be used in an eyewear system as asunglass lens or a fashion lens that reflects light in a diffuse manner.The following is a discussion of the various ways in which the DiffuseReflecting Lens may be constructed, manufactured, and installed in aneyewear system such as a dual-lens eyewear system or a unitary lenseyewear system. A dual-lens eyewear system has two lens locations intowhich two separate lenses may be installed. The two lens locations of adual-lens eyewear system are arranged in a left and right orientationcoincident with a wearer's normal line of sight for each eye. A unitarylens eyewear system uses a single lens commonly referred to as a unitarylens. A unitary lens is a single lens that extends through a wearer'snormal line of sight for both eyes. Unitary lenses are commonly used inski goggles, for example, and sunglasses. A unitary lens may also takethe form of a visor, such as a flip down visor for a helmet. Mostconventional lenses, such as those employed in either dual-lens eyewearsystems or unitary lens eyewear systems, are manufactured as “oversize”lenses, that is, they are manufactured to be larger than the largestlens location in which they are anticipated to be installed to provideexcess material that may be cut away, allowing the lens to be cut downand installed in eyewear systems of varying shapes and sizes. Like mostconventional lenses, the various lens constructions of the DiffuseReflecting Lens described herein may be, and preferably are,manufactured the same way for the same reason. A lens that ismanufactured to be oversize and has not yet been cut down to a specificsize and shape so that it can be installed in an eyewear system iswidely referred to within the optical industry as an “uncut lens”. Anuncut Diffuse Reflecting Lens refers to a Diffuse Reflecting Lens thatis manufactured to be oversize and has not been cut down to a specificsize and shape so that it can be installed in an eyewear system. Ifdesired, the Diffuse Reflecting Lens may be manufactured to a finishedsize and shape that will allow it to be mounted in a specific eyewearsystem, thus avoiding an additional cutting down process. Doing so,however, creates a degree of difficulty in that it may require auniquely shaped mold system and is potentially limited to use in only asingle eyewear system. The Diffuse Reflecting Lens can be manufacturedas a curved lens, such as spherically curved, or as a flat lens thatmay, if desired, be subsequently curved. The Diffuse Reflecting Lens hasa front surface that forms an outer surface and a back surface thatforms another outer surface. The front surface of the Diffuse ReflectingLens is the surface located on the front side of the Diffuse ReflectingLens and the back surface is the surface located on the backside of theDiffuse Reflecting Lens. The front side and the associated front surfaceof the Diffuse Reflecting Lens are opposite the backside and theassociated back surface of the Diffuse Reflecting Lens. As worn, thebackside is the side of the Diffuse Reflecting Lens that is adjacent theeye of the wearer and the front side is the side of the DiffuseReflecting Lens that is viewed by an observer. The Diffuse ReflectingLens is, in part, composed of a first and second lens element laminatedtogether with a reflective medium positioned between them in combinationwith an anti-reflective coating, or anti-reflective surface treatment,on the front side of the resulting lens construction. The first lenselement includes a first surface. Prior to the lamination process, areflective medium is applied to the first surface of the first lenselement. The first surface of the first lens element, upon which thereflective medium is applied, is at least partially comprised of what iscalled a Diffuse Reflecting Form Texture. The Diffuse Reflecting Lensreflects light in a uniform diffuse omni-directional manner from thefront side of the lens and transmits light like a conventional eyewearlens or sunglass lens to the eye of the wearer. Viewed from the frontside, or in other words, from an observer's point of view, the DiffuseReflecting Lens, in combination with an optically suitable amount ofreflective medium, has an easily perceived soft contrast lustrous satinlike appearance substantially void of specular reflection. The DiffuseReflecting Form Texture in combination with the reflective mediumproduces the unique reflection of the Diffuse Reflecting Lens. TheDiffuse Reflecting Form Texture is designed to have good reflectiveproperties in that, with an optically suitable amount of reflectivemedium, it can produce an apparent diffuse reflection in a wide range oflighting conditions and viewing angles. Additionally, the DiffuseReflecting Form Texture in combination with the reflective medium isdesigned to prevent distracting internal reflections within the lens andto reflect light in a diffuse manner. The Diffuse Reflecting FormTexture in combination with the reflective medium has a satin likeappearance that reflects incident light impinging thereon in a uniform,diffuse and omni-directional manner. The reflection produced is lustrousbut not mirror like. In other words, it is between a glossy and mattefinish. The Diffuse Reflecting Form Texture represents a significantimprovement over previous attempts to create a reflecting surface thatdoes not reflect a coherent image in that it has good reflectiveproperties and does not create distracting internal reflections withinthe lens.

The Diffuse Reflecting Form Texture is a combination of both surfaceform and surface finish wherein the surface finish is a textured finishapplied to the surface form. The surface form of the Diffuse ReflectingForm Texture is featureless. A featureless surface form, as definedherein, is a surface form that is void of surface irregularities formedby changing, varying and alternating elevations that create light anddark areas in reflected light that would otherwise cause an apparentdecorative feature to stand out on the surface. An example of changing,varying and alternating surface elevations that create light and darkareas in reflected light which in turn cause a decorative feature tostand out on the surface is an indented or raised portion of a surface,such as a bas-relief, that in turn creates a likeness of a persons face.The textured finish is composed of peaks and valleys that fall withinspecified parameters. The arrangement of the peaks and valleys of thetextured finish is random and continuous about the surface area of thefeatureless surface form within the area occupied by the DiffuseReflecting Form Texture. An example of peaks and valleys arranged in arandom and continuous manner is the arrangement of abrasive particlesabout the surface area of a new sheet of common sandpaper, wherein thetop of each abrasive particle represents a peak and the surface areabetween a given abrasive particle and an adjacent abrasive particlerepresents a valley. The peaks and valleys of the textured finish of theDiffuse Reflecting Form Texture and the described sandpaper are randomin that each peak and each valley does not have a specific predeterminedlocation relative to the surface upon which it is located. The peaks andvalleys of the textured finish of the Diffuse Reflecting Form Textureand the described sandpaper are continuous in that each peak leadsdirectly into an adjacent valley and each valley leads directly into anadjacent peak and as such forms a cyclical pattern that repeats itselfthrough out the entire surface area occupied by the peaks and valleys.

Referring now to FIG. 1, there is shown an uncut Diffuse Reflecting Lens23 manufactured as a round lens that can be cut down and installed in aleft or right lens location of a dual-lens eyewear system. The uncutDiffuse Reflecting Lens of FIG. 1 is shown from the front side.Referring now to FIG. 2, there is shown a section view of DiffuseReflecting Lens 23 of FIG. 1 along section line A-A to illustrateindividual lens elements. FIG. 2 depicts a first lens element 16, areflective medium 27, an optical adhesive 28, a second lens element 19,and anti-reflective coatings 29, 30. Surface 18 represents the firstsurface of first lens element 16. The peaks and valleys that aredepicted along surface 18 in FIG. 2 represent the peaks and valleys ofthe Diffuse Reflecting Form Texture. Reflective medium 27 is shownfollowing the contour of the peaks and valleys. Surface 17 of first lenselement 16 of FIG. 2 is an outer surface upon which anti-reflectivecoating 29 is shown applied, and surface 21 of second lens element 19 ofFIG. 2 is an outer surface upon which anti-reflective coating 30 isshown applied. Eye 46 represents the eye of a wearer and serves toillustrate the side of the Diffuse Reflecting Lens of FIG. 2 that is thebackside. Surface 21 depicts the back surface and is located on thebackside of the Diffuse Reflecting Lens of FIG. 2 adjacent eye 46.Surface 21 of second lens element 19 of FIG. 2 is optically smooth andis shown as a concave surface. Surface 17 of first lens element 16 ofFIG. 2 is optically smooth and is shown as a convex surface oppositesurface 21. Surface 17 depicts the front surface and is located on thefront side of the Diffuse Reflecting Lens of FIG. 2 and therefore, asworn, is on the side of the Diffuse Reflecting Lens of FIG. 2 that isviewed by an observer. First and second lens elements 16 and 19 aremanufactured separately and as such form prefabricated solid-state lenselements prior to being bonded together. The first and second lenselements may be injection molded or cast using an optical grade plasticsuch as a thermoplastic or thermoset plastic material.

Reflective medium 27, which may be chromium, for example, is very thin,measuring generally only a few angstroms in thickness. The reflectivemedium reflects a fraction of the light impinging thereon and allows theremainder to pass through. Like the reflective medium, anti-reflectivecoatings 29, 30 of FIG. 2 are also very thin and are preferably appliedusing conventional vacuum-deposition methods. The anti-reflectivecoatings may be applied prior to or after the first and second lenselements are laminated together.

It is preferred that the surface of the second lens element in contactwith the adhesive element, such as surface 20 of second lens element 19,be optically smooth. However, if the refractive index of adhesive 28closely matches that of second lens element 19, surface 20 can have asurface that is not optically smooth. It is preferred that lens elements16 and 19 have the same refractive index. Therefore, it is preferredthat lens elements 16 and 19 be made of the same material.

If the Diffuse Reflecting Lens is to be manufactured as a plano lens, alens without corrective power, it is preferred that the first and secondlens elements be 1.0 to 1.5 millimeters thick for a total combinedthickness of 2.0 to 3.0 millimeters. If desired, the Diffuse ReflectingLens may be manufactured as a decentered lens or a corrective lenshaving power by simply altering the thickness and or the curve of thefirst or second lens element a desired amount. Also, if desired, theDiffuse Reflecting Lens may be manufactured as an extra thick semifinished lens construction that can be ground and polished for thepurpose of creating a corrective lens.

The Diffuse Reflecting Form Texture reduces the amount of contrast thatwould normally appear in light reflected off an optically smooth orhighly polished surface. For example, if a black and white checkerboardpattern is placed in front of a mirror, the reflection in the mirrorwill be that of the same checkerboard. The contrast between the blacksquares and the white squares is sharp allowing an observer to easilydistinguish between the areas of black and white and thus to recognizethe pattern. The reflection produced by a mirror is specular. If thereflecting surface becomes uneven in the manner described in the presentinvention, the contrast between black and white becomes fuzzy, reducingthe observer's ability to recognize where black turns to white and thusmaking it more difficult to recognize the pattern. The more uneven thereflecting surface becomes, again along the lines of the surfacedescribed herein, the more the contrast is reduced. As contrast isfurther reduced, a point is reached at which there is little or nocontrast as in the case of a matte finish. The reduction in contrast canalso be described in terms of diffuse reflection. The more diffuse thereflected light, the less contrast an observer will perceive in thereflected light. Further, the more diffuse the reflected light is theless bright the reflection will be.

The Diffuse Reflecting Form Texture is designed to reflect light withina range of diffuseness that has been found to produce good reflectivitywith a minimal use of reflective medium. Applying more reflectivemedium, such as chromium or aluminum, can increase the reflectivity ofthe Diffuse Reflecting Lens, however, doing so reduces the amount oflight transmission and, as a result, limits the amount of reflectivemedium that can be used, beyond which the optical quality of thecompleted lens is negatively affected. In light of this restriction, theDiffuse Reflecting Form Texture is designed so that a sufficient amountof brightness and luster in reflected light can be achieved withoutexceeding the limitations imposed on the use of a reflective medium suchas chromium or aluminum. For the Diffuse Reflecting Lens to workproperly, it is important that the lens reflect light in a manner thatis sufficiently bright. There are a number of reasons for this. It isimportant that the Diffuse Reflecting Form Texture, in combination withan optically suitable amount of reflective medium, be designed to belustrous enough and bright enough so that an observer is not easily ablesee through the lens to the eyes of the wearer. If the reflected lightis too diffuse, the brightness and the luster of the reflection maybecome too diminished, making it difficult to perceive a reflection and,when combined with the anti-reflective coating, making it easier for anobserver to see the eyes of the wearer. It is also important that thecompleted lens has a readily apparent level of brightness and luster inreflected light so that the dim colored specular reflection of theanti-reflective coating is concealed. If the reflective medium producesa bright enough reflection, the weaker specular reflection produced byincident light striking the anti-reflective coating will be sufficientlybacklit and washed out by the reflection coming from the reflectivemedium.

To further illustrate what is meant by uniform diffuse omni-directionalreflection, FIGS. 3A-C and 4A-C depict two stainless steel discs thatreflect light in two distinctly different manners. Stainless steel disc2 of FIG. 3A-C has a surface in the form of the Diffuse Reflecting FormTexture and reflects light in a uniform diffuse omni-directional manner.Stainless steel disc 2 of FIGS. 3A and 3C is shown in plan view from theside that has the Diffuse Reflecting Form Texture. Upside down “V”symbols 1 of FIG. 3A represent the peaks and valleys of the texturedfinish of the Diffuse Reflecting Form Texture. For the purpose ofsimplification the upside down “V” symbols of FIG. 3A are not shown inFIG. 3C. The surface of stainless steel disc 2 that has the DiffuseReflecting Form Texture is spherical in shape and, for illustrativepurposes, has a spherical radius of greater than twenty-fivemillimeters. FIG. 3B depicts stainless steel disc 2 in profile viewwherein surface 3 represents the spherical surface that has the DiffuseReflecting Form Texture. Stainless steel disc 7 of FIGS. 4A-C has abrushed finish surface. The brushed finish reflects light in abi-directional manner. Stainless steel disc 7 of FIGS. 4A and 4C isshown in plan view from the side having the brushed finish. The surfaceof stainless steel disc 7 that has the brushed finish applied thereon isspherical in shape and, for illustrative purposes, has the samespherical radius as stainless steel disc 2 of FIGS. 3A-C. FIG. 4Bdepicts stainless steel disc 7 in profile view wherein surface 3represents the spherical surface. The surface form of surface 3 of FIGS.4A-C, upon which the brushed finish is applied, is featureless. Thebrushed finish is created by sand paper or an abrasive pad wherein thesand paper or abrasive pad creates a surface abrasion in the form ofscratches that are generally linear and generally parallel to oneanother. Lines 6 of FIG. 4A and 4C represent the scratches that make upthe brushed finish of stainless steal disc 7.

FIGS. 3B and 3C illustrate the reflection created by the DiffuseReflecting Form Texture. FIGS. 4B and 4C depict the bi-directionalreflection created by the brushed finish. Arrow 4 of FIG. 3B representsan incident light ray striking surface 3 of stainless steel disc 2.Arrows 5 of FIG. 3B represent the light reflected from surface 3 of FIG.3B. FIG. 3C illustrates incident light 4 and reflected light 5 of FIG.3B in plan view. As can be seen in FIG. 3C, light rays 5 radiateapproximately equally over three hundred sixty degrees. It is this typeof reflection that is referred to as omni-directional reflection. Thereflection is considered to be omni-directional because it radiatessubstantially symmetrically over three hundred sixty degrees from thepoint where incident light 4 of FIG. 3C strikes the surface of theDiffuse Reflecting Form Texture. Because the light is reflected in anomni-directional manner, it produces an apparent reflection under a widerange of lighting conditions and viewing angles. The reflection isconsidered to be uniform because incident light impinging on any givenpoint about the Diffuse Reflecting Form Texture will be reflected insubstantially the same omni-directional manner. In contrast to this typeof reflection, FIGS. 4B and 4C depict how light rays reflect off thebrushed finish. Light rays 5 are shown to reflect from surface 3 of FIG.4C in a bi-directional manner perpendicular to scratch lines 6 depictedin FIGS. 4A and 4C. The bidirectional reflection produced by the brushedfinish has been found to be unsuitable due to the significant internalreflections it produces when encapsulated in a lens construction asdescribed by the referenced prior art. It should be noted that thedescribed use of stainless steel in FIGS. 3A-C and 4A-C serves only asan example to illustrate the described reflections.

Unlike a light diffraction pattern grating used for creating holograms,the peaks and valleys of the textured finish of the Diffuse ReflectingForm Texture are random and not as critically defined. As compared totextured finishes in general, however, the textured finish incorporatedin the Diffuse Reflecting Form Texture is rather narrowly defined. Aspreviously stated, the Diffuse Reflecting Form Texture is designed toreflect light in a diffuse manner within a range of diffuseness. Thephysical nature of the peaks and valleys of the textured finishdetermine the degree of diffuseness. It has been found that from thestandpoint of reflective characteristics and resulting opticalperformance there is an optimum range of diffuseness in reflected light.The peaks and valleys of the textured finish of the Diffuse ReflectingForm Texture are defined in terms of slope angle, roughness and peakdensity. Rdq (root mean square of mean slope) is a measurement thatrefers to slope angle wherein a slope is the surface portion thatextends from a given valley to an adjacent peak. Rq (root mean squareroughness) is a measurement that refers to roughness or surface heightvariations of the textured finish. RSm (mean spacing between profilepeaks) is a measurement that refers to peak density. Rdq, Rq and RSm arestandard measurements in the field of measuring surface roughness andphysical characteristics. Essentially, the Rdq measurement is a weightedaverage of all the slope angles extending from the valleys to eachvalley's adjacent peak within a given measured line length or surfacearea of measurement. Similarly, Rq is a weighted average of surfaceroughness within a given measured line length or surface area ofmeasurement. RSm measures the number of, what are called, profile peakswithin a given line length or surface area of measurement.

As it relates to a highly reflective surface of the type describedherein, the performance of the reflective surface in terms ofdiffuseness is largely determined by the Rdq value. For a given Rqvalue, shallower average slope angles result in lower Rdq values. LowerRdq values result in reflections that are less diffuse and of highercontrast. Conversely, higher Rdq values result in reflections that aremore diffuse and of decreased contrast. The individual slope angles,that is, a given slope connecting a particular valley to an adjacentpeak, of the Diffuse Reflecting Form Texture are not necessarilyentirely constant throughout and that is why the slope anglemeasurements are calculated as an average.

The Rq measurement relates to the average distance, in terms of depth,measured from the bottom of the valleys to the tops of the peaks, or inother words, the amplitude. Lower Rq values mean a shallower averagedepth between the tops of the peaks and the bottom of the valleys. Thisgenerally results in a finer textured finish. Conversely, greater Rqvalues mean a greater average depth from the tops of the peaks to thebottom of the valleys. This generally results in a coarser texturedfinish. It is important that a relatively low Rq value be maintained inorder to minimize the potential negative effects on the opticalperformance due to possible mismatches in refractive indices. It hasbeen found that a textured finish of the type described herein having anRdq value, Rq value and RSm value falling within a narrowly specifiedrange can produce good reflectivity and a sufficient amount ofdiffuseness in reflected light. Referring now to FIG. 5, there is shownan enlarged profile section view of a textured finish depicting thepeaks and valleys of the surface having a given Rdq, Rq and RSm value.The illustration is simplified in that the slopes connecting the peaksand valleys are shown as being straight as apposed to varying forms anddegrees of continuous arcs that would be more representative of theactual textured finish of the Diffuse Reflecting Form Texture.Nonetheless, FIG. 5 sufficiently illustrates the measurements Rdq, Rqand RSm. Peak 8 represents a single peak, and valleys 9 and 14 representtwo valleys on either side of peak 8 of the illustrated textured finish.Dimension 10 represents the line length of the textured finish that isbeing measured. Reference line B-B represents the mean surfaceelevation, also referred to as a least square line, of the peaks andvalleys such that equal areas of the textured finish profile within linelength 10 lie above and below it. Reference line 12 is parallel to slope11 that extends between peak 8 and valley 9. The angle of slope 11, asindicated by angle 13 of FIG. 5, is determined by the angle betweenreference lines 12 and B-B. The average slope angle for the given linelength 10 of the textured finish is simply the sum of all the slopeangles averaged together. In a similar manner, if some or all of theslopes of a given textured finish are arcs as opposed to straight lineslopes, the slope angle of each slope is provided as an average, and allof the averaged slope angles are again averaged, resulting in an averageslope angle along the line length measured. FIG. 5 serves only toexplain what is meant by “slope angle” or “average slope angle” and isnot intended to fully explain the well-known mathematics involved incalculating the root mean square of mean slope (Rdq). Rq is determinedby measuring the surface height variations, such as the distance betweenpeak 8 and valley 9, of all the peaks and valleys measuredperpendicularly to reference line B-B within line length 10. As is thecase of Rdq, FIG. 5 serves only to explain what is meant by “surfaceheight variations” or “roughness” and is not intended to fully explainthe routine mathematics involved in calculating the root mean squareroughness (Rq). RSm is determined by counting the number of profilepeaks within line length 10. A profile peak is the highest point of theprofile between an upward and downward crossing of the mean line such asmean line B-B. Peak 8 represents a profile peak in that peak 8 is abovemean line B-B, and corresponding valleys 9 and 14 are below mean lineB-B. The RSm value relates to the average distance between peaks withina given line length. It is determined by the number of profile peakscounted in a given line length divided by the line length.

The manner in which the Rdq, Rq and RSm measurements are obtained is inaccordance with industry standards for surface measurements. The Rdq, Rqand RSm measurements of the preferred embodiment of the presentinvention are made using a contact stylus measuring device and certainparameters. The parameters used for measuring the textured finish andacquiring the Rdq, Rq and RSm values include stylus tip radius, spatialfrequencies, data density and minimum line length to be measured. Thestylus tip radius is two micrometers. The spatial frequencies are onehundred micro-inches at the lower end and thirty thousandths of an inchon the upper end. The data density is an industry standard ofapproximately one data point per ten micro-inches (or, in metric units,approximately four data points per micron) of horizontal travel acrossthe surface being measured. The minimum line length to be measured iseight millimeters. The Rdq of the textured finish of the DiffuseReflecting Form Texture of the preferred embodiment is greater than 0.75degrees and less than 6.5 degrees, and the Rq of the textured finish ofthe Diffuse Reflecting Form Texture of the preferred embodiment isgreater than 5.9 micro-inches and less than 25.0 micro-inches. The RSmof the textured finish is greater than 0.0009 inches and less than 0.007inches. The Diffuse Reflecting Form Texture of the preferred embodimentis defined by a combination of the following parameters: a) the range ofRdq, Rq and RSm of the textured finish in combination with theparameters set forth for measuring the textured finish and obtaining theRdq, Rq and RSm values; b) the featureless surface form upon which thetextured finish is applied; and c) the random and continuous manner inwhich the peaks and valleys of the textured finish are arraigned on thefeatureless surface.

FIG. 6A depicts a first lens element 16. A section view of first lenselement 16, along section line A-A of FIG. 6A, is illustrated in FIG.6B. First lens element 16 is shown in plan view in FIG. 6A from thesurface 17 side. First lens element 16 has first and second surfaces,the second surface being the surface opposite the first surface. A lenselement incorporating the Diffuse Reflecting Form Texture is hereinafterreferred to as the first lens element, and the surface of the first lenselement incorporating the Diffuse Reflecting Form Texture is referred toas the first surface. Surface 18 of first lens element 16 of FIG. 6Brepresents the first surface and surface 17 represents the secondsurface. Surface 17 of first lens element 16 is optically smooth,whereas surface 18 incorporates the Diffuse Reflecting Form Texture. Thepeaks and valleys that are depicted along surface 18 of FIG. 6Brepresent the peaks and valleys of the Diffuse Reflecting Form Texture.It should be noted that the peaks and valleys shown in the illustrationare greatly exaggerated in terms of their size and form and are used torepresent the presence of the Diffuse Reflecting Form Texture.

First lens element 16 is created by casting or injection molding anoptical grade plastic material in a prepared mold. The mold that formsthe first surface 18 of the first lens element 16 possesses the DiffuseReflecting Form Texture, which is replicated in the first lens elementduring the casting or molding process. The processes of casting andinjection molding are both common practices and well known in theoptical industry. The creation of the Diffuse Reflecting Form Texture onthe first surface 18 of the first lens element 16 is not solely confinedto casting or injection molding. If working with a material such aspolycarbonate, for example, the Diffuse Reflecting Form Texture can alsobe applied to the first surface 18 by the well-known method ofembossing. The preferred material for first lens element 16 is anoptical grade thermoplastic such as polycarbonate or a thermoset plasticmaterial such as allyl diglycol carbonate, commonly known as CR-39, atrademark of PPG Industries.

One method of creating a mold that possesses a Diffuse Reflecting FormTexture is by using the well-known process of electroforming.Electroforming is a process that utilizes a mandrel that serves as amaster to create a metal mold that can be used in a casting or injectionmolding process. The Diffuse Reflecting Form Texture can be created onthe surface of the mandrel and then subsequently duplicated in the metalmold. One method that can be used to create the textured finish of theDiffuse Reflecting Form Texture is by bombarding the surface of themold, or the mandrel used to create the mold, with a media, such as aglass bead media for example. When the media strikes the surface a smallindention or distortion of the surface results, which in turn createsthe peaks and valleys of the described textured finish. Creation of thetextured finish is not limited to bombarding the surface with a media,however, this method works well in that it naturally creates peaks andvalleys in a random and continuous manner and, as apposed to an etchingprocess that cuts into the surface and removes surface material, it canbe made to be less aggressive, allowing for more control in the creationof the textured finish. If necessary or desired, once the texturedfinish has been applied, the diffuse nature of the resulting texturedfinish can be subsequently reduced by means of electropolishing. Theprocess of electropolishing is, however, not required to produce thetextured finish of Diffuse Reflecting Form Texture. Electropolishing issimply an additional tool that can be used to control the reflectivecharacteristics of the resulting textured finish. The methods andmaterials described for creating the Diffuse Reflecting Form Texture andthe molds serve only as an example and are not intended to narrow thescope of the invention.

The section view of first lens element 16 of FIG. 6B is shown again inFIG. 6C with a reflective medium 27 applied to first surface 18. Firstlens element 16 and reflective medium 27 of FIG. 6C represent first lenselement 16 and reflective medium 27 of FIG. 2. Reflective medium 27 isapplied to the first surface by means of vacuum-deposition.Vacuum-deposition is a proven means for applying the reflective medium27 and is therefore the preferred method for doing so. The reflectivemedium 27 can be applied to the entire surface area of the first surface18 or it can be applied to a selected portion of the first surface 18.For example, reflective medium 27 can be applied in a single or doublegradient form. The application of a reflective medium in a gradient formis a common practice and is well known in the optical industry. Thefirst surface 18 of the first lens element 16 having reflective medium27 applied thereon represents, as defined herein, a prepared firstsurface 18. After the reflective medium 27 is applied to the firstsurface 18, first lens element 16, having a prepared first surface, canbe laminated to the second lens element 19. Optical adhesive 28 of FIG.2 is a binding element that conforms to the prepared first surface ofthe first lens element 16 and the adjacent surface of the second lenselement 19. The adhesive 28 is applied in liquid form and issubsequently cured. It is preferred that adhesive 28 be an optical gradeadhesive and be of the type that is cured by exposing it to anultraviolet light source. The term “optical grade” simply refers to agrade of adhesive that is very clear. It is preferred that the opticaladhesive 28 have a refractive index that closely matches that of thematerial used to create the first lens element 16. Adhesive types likethese are commercially available from Norland Optics. Other types ofadhesives that can be used include thermally cured adhesives, contactadhesives, epoxy adhesives and epoxy resins. The process and adhesivesused for laminating two prefabricated solid-state lens elements togetherare well known in the optical industry, so no detailed description ofthe lamination process is given.

Lens element 16 of FIG. 7A represents a first lens element that is avariation on the first lens element 16 of FIG. 6A. A section view offirst lens element 16 of FIG. 7A, taken along section line A-A, is shownin FIG. 7B. First lens element 16 of FIG. 7A is shown in plan view fromthe surface 18 side. Surface 18 of first lens element 16 of FIG. 7Brepresents the first surface and surface 17 represents the secondsurface. Second surface 17 of first lens element 16 of FIG. 7B isconcave and optically smooth, whereas first surface 18 is convex andincorporates the Diffuse Reflecting Form Texture. The peaks and valleysthat are depicted along first surface 18 of FIG. 7B represent the peaksand valleys of the Diffuse Reflecting Form Texture. The section view offirst lens element 16 of FIG. 7B is shown again in FIG. 7C as havingreflective medium 27 applied to first surface 18. As previouslydescribed, the reflective medium can be applied to the entire surfacearea of the first surface 18 or it can be applied to a selected portionof the first surface 18. For example, reflective medium 27 can beapplied in a single or double gradient form. Reflective medium 27applied to first surface 18 of FIG. 7C represents a prepared firstsurface 18.

FIG. 8 depicts a Diffuse Reflecting Lens that is a variation on the lensconstruction of FIG. 2 and incorporates the first lens element of FIG.7A. The Diffuse Reflecting Lens of FIG. 8 is a section view of DiffuseReflecting Lens 23 of FIG. 1, taken along section line A-A. First lenselement 16 and reflective medium 27 of FIG. 8 are the same as first lenselement 16 and reflective medium 27 of FIG. 7C. Surfaces 17 and 21illustrated in FIG. 8 are outer surfaces having anti-reflective coatings29 and 30, respectively, applied thereon. Eye 53 of FIG. 8 representsthe eye of a wearer and is shown to illustrate the backside of theDiffuse Reflecting Lens of FIG. 8. Surface 17 represents the backsurface and is located on the backside of the Diffuse Reflecting Lens ofFIG. 8 adjacent eye 53. Surface 17 of first lens element 16 of FIG. 8 isoptically smooth and is shown as a concave surface. Surface 21 of secondlens element 19 of FIG. 8 is optically smooth and is shown as a convexsurface opposite surface 17. Surface 21 represents the front surface andis located on the front side of the Diffuse Reflecting Lens of FIG. 8.Therefore, as worn, surface 21 is on the side of the Diffuse ReflectingLens of FIG. 8 that is viewed by an observer. With respect to theDiffuse Reflecting Lens constructions of FIGS. 2 and 8, the manner inwhich the second lens element 19 is fabricated is similar to that of thefirst lens element 16 except that it does not incorporate a DiffuseReflecting Form Texture on either of its surfaces as it would apply tosurfaces 20 and 21 of second lens element 19 of FIGS. 2 and 8.

FIG. 9 depicts a Diffuse Reflecting Lens that represents anothervariation on the lens construction of FIG. 2. The lens construction ofFIG. 9 does not include optical adhesive 28. The Diffuse Reflecting Lensof FIG. 9 is a section view of Diffuse Reflecting Lens 23 taken alongsection line A-A of FIG. 1. First lens element 16 and reflective medium27 of FIG. 9 is the same as first lens element 16 and reflective medium27 of FIG. 6C. Surfaces 17 and 21 of FIG. 9 are outer surfaces havinganti-reflective coatings 29 and 30, respectively, applied thereon. Eye54 FIG. 9 represents the eye of a wearer and is shown to illustrate thebackside of the Diffuse Reflecting Lens of FIG. 9. Surface 21 representsthe back surface and is located on the backside of the DiffuseReflecting Lens of FIG. 9 adjacent eye 54. Surface 21 of second lenselement 19 of FIG. 9 is optically smooth and is shown as a concavesurface. Surface 17 of first lens element 16 of FIG. 9 is opticallysmooth and is shown as a convex surface opposite surface 21. Surface 17represents the front surface and is located on the front side of theDiffuse Reflecting Lens of FIG. 9. Therefore, as worn, surface 17 is onthe side of the Diffuse Reflecting Lens of FIG. 9 that is viewed by anobserver.

FIG. 10 depicts a Diffuse Reflecting Lens that represents anothervariation on the lens construction of FIG. 2. The lens construction ofFIG. 10 is similar to the lens construction of FIG. 9 in that it alsodoes not include optical adhesive 28. The Diffuse Reflecting Lens ofFIG. 10 is a section view of Diffuse Reflecting Lens 23 taken alongsection line A-A of FIG. 1. First lens element 16 and reflective medium27 of FIG. 10 is the same as first lens element 16 and reflective medium27 of FIG. 7C. Surfaces 17 and 21 of FIG. 10 are outer surfaces havinganti-reflective coatings 29 and 30, respectively, applied thereon. Eye55 of FIG. 10 represents the eye of a wearer and is shown to illustratethe backside of the Diffuse Reflecting Lens of FIG. 10. Surface 17depicts the back surface and is located on the backside of the DiffuseReflecting Lens of FIG. 10 adjacent eye 55. Surface 17 of first lenselement 16 of FIG. 10 is optically smooth and is shown as a concavesurface. Surface 21 of second lens element 19 FIG. 10 is opticallysmooth and is shown as a convex surface opposite surface 17. Surface 21represents the front surface and is located on the front side of theDiffuse Reflecting Lens of FIG. 10. Therefore, as worn, surface 21 is onthe side of the Diffuse Reflecting Lens of FIG. 10 that is viewed by anobserver.

In the case of the Diffuse Reflecting Lens constructions of FIG. 9 and10, instead of the second lens element 19 being a prefabricated lenselement laminated to the prepared first surface 18 of the first lenselement 16 the second lens element 19 is applied to the prepared firstsurface 18 of the first lens element 16 in liquid form and thensolidified, resulting in reflective medium 27 being encapsulated withinthe Diffuse Reflecting Lens of FIGS. 9 and 10 between first lens element16 and second lens element 19. The manner in which this is done involvesplacing first lens element 16 having a prepared first surface 18 into amold and casting or injection molding second lens element 19 into place.During this process, the plastic material used to create the second lenselement 19 conforms to and fills in the peaks and valleys created by theDiffuse Reflecting Form Texture and forms an optically smooth surface21. It is necessary for the material used to create the first and secondlens elements 16, 19 to have matched or very closely matched refractiveindices. Therefore, it is desirable for the first and second lenselements 16, 19 to be made of the same type of plastic material. Oncethe second lens element 19 has been cast or injection molded into place,anti-reflective coatings 29 and 30 of FIGS. 9 and 10 can be applied. Asdescribed in the prior art, an additional adhesion-promoting element canbe included in the lens constructions of FIGS. 9 and 10 to facilitatethe bonding of the second lens element 19 to the prepared first surface18 of the first lens element 16.

The Diffuse Reflecting Lens constructions of FIGS. 2, 8, 9 and 10 canalternatively be made flat and not curved. If a Diffuse Reflecting Lensis to be manufactured in the form of a unitary lens, it is preferredthat the material used to create the first and second lens elements 16,19 be of a type that is flexible and highly impact resistant, such aspolycarbonate. The reason for this is that the size, or surface area, ofa Diffuse Reflecting Lens that is in the form of a unitary lens isconsiderably larger than a Diffuse Reflecting Lens that has been cutdown and installed in a left or right lens location of a dual-lenseyewear system and is therefore much more susceptible to significantdistortion due to accidental impact.

Generally speaking all described lens elements such as the reflectivemedium 27 and the first and second lens elements 16, 19, for example,inherently absorb some amount of light. It is not these lens elements,however, that, in and of themselves, serve the function of providingmeaningful light absorption and protection from the sun's rays as is thefunction of a sunglass lens. To serve as a sunglass lens, it isdesirable that the lens constructions of FIGS. 2, 8, 9 and 10 have anadditional light-absorbing lens element included in the construction.Tint elements used to provide meaningful light absorption come invarious forms such as molecular catalytic dye, pre-colored optical gradeplastic, vacuum-deposited tint coatings and polarized film. All of thesetint forms are common to the optical industry and can be employed in thevarious lens constructions of the Diffuse Reflecting Lens. It is to beunderstood that the coloring of the plastic is synonymous with thetinting of plastic since the color serves to tint the plastic. The lenselement that provides the meaningful light absorbing function ispositioned between the reflective medium 27 and the eye of the wearer.The light absorbing tint not only serves to protect the eyes of thewearer from bright light but it also reduces and absorbs backsidereflections off the reflective medium 27, as in the case of metallicreflective mediums, that would otherwise be reflected back toward theeyes of the wearer.

In the case of pre-colored plastic or molecular catalytic dyes, thelight-absorbing element is or becomes part of the described lens elementitself. Referring now to FIGS. 2 and 9, when using pre-colored plasticor molecular catalytic dyes, it is second lens element 19 that is giventhe light-absorbing tint. In the case of the Diffuse Reflecting Lensesof FIGS. 8 and 10, it is first lens element 16 that is given thelight-absorbing tint. For example, second lens element 19 of FIG. 2 orfirst lens element 16 of FIGS. 8 and 10 can be manufactured of clear oruncolored thermoset plastic, such as allyl diglycol carbonate and thensubsequently tinted a desired color by exposing the lens element to aheated liquid molecular catalytic dye solution wherein the plasticabsorbs the colored dye. In the case of a molecular catalytic dye, it ispreferred that the lens element to be tinted be tinted prior to thelamination process and the application of any lens coatings. Tinting bymeans of molecular catalytic dyes is preferably and normally limited tothermoset plastics as opposed to thermoplastics, such as polycarbonate.Thermoset plastic material can also be pre-colored, in which case thelens element can be cast as a tinted lens. In the case of the DiffuseReflecting Lens of FIG. 9, it is preferred that second lens element 19be cast using a pre-colored plastic. It is also preferred that whenusing a thermoplastic to create second lens element 19 of FIG. 2 orfirst lens element 16 of FIGS. 8 and 10, that the plastic bepre-colored.

In the case of vacuum-deposited tint coatings or polarized film, theselight-absorbing elements can be used in lieu of the aforementioned dyesor colored plastic. Like the previously described vacuum-depositedreflective coatings and anti-reflective coatings, vacuum-deposited tintsare also very thin. Vacuum-deposited tints are typically made ofmagnesium fluoride or a silicon type medium. There are a number of waysin which a vacuum-deposited tint can be incorporated into the DiffuseReflecting Lens constructions of FIGS. 2 and 8. A selected one ofsurfaces 20, 21 of FIG. 2 can have a vacuum-deposited tint applied tothe surface. If the vacuum-deposited tint is applied to surface 21 ofFIG. 2, it can be in lieu of anti-reflective coating 30 or it can bepositioned between surface 21 and anti-reflective coating 30. If thevacuum-deposited tint is applied to surface 20, it is done so prior tothe lamination process. If desired, the vacuum-deposited tint can bepositioned between reflective medium 27 of FIG. 2 and optical adhesive28 in which case the tint is applied to the reflective medium prior tothe lamination process. In the case of the Diffuse Reflecting Lens ofFIG. 8, the vacuum-deposited tint can be applied to either first surface18 or surface 17. If the tint is applied to first surface 18, it is doneso prior to application of reflective medium 27, in which case thevacuum-deposited tint is positioned between surface 18 and reflectivemedium 27. If the vacuum-deposited tint is applied to surface 17 of FIG.8, it can be in lieu of anti-reflective coating 29 or it can bepositioned between surface 17 and anti-reflective coating 29. The use ofvacuum-deposited tints is described in detail in the referenced priorart. Further, the incorporation of vacuum-deposited tints in a lens,including a lens element having a relief pattern on one surface, whereinthe relief pattern is a holographic diffraction pattern having areflective medium applied thereon, is the subject of U.S. Pat. No.4,840,444.

A very effective and popular light absorbing lens element is polarizedfilm. FIGS. 11A-11C depict three ways in which a polarized film can beincorporated into the Diffuse Reflecting Lens of FIG. 2. In FIG. 11Apolarized film 31 is encapsulated within optical adhesive 28 positionedbetween surface 20 and reflective medium 27. The polarized film 31 isincorporated in the lens construction of FIG. 11A by positioning itwithin the optical adhesive 28 during the lamination process. Theinclusion of a polarized film sandwiched between two solid-state lenselements is from prior art U.S. Pat. No. 4,838,673. This prior art doesnot, however, describe the use of a polarized film within a lensconstruction similar to that of a Diffuse Reflecting Lens. FIG. 11Billustrates polarized film 31 bonded to surface 20 of second lenselement 19. The polarized film 31 is incorporated in the lensconstruction of FIG. 11B by first bonding the polarized film 31 tosurface 20 of second lens element 19 prior to second lens element 19being laminated to the prepared first surface 18 of first lens element16. FIG. 11C illustrates polarized film 31 encapsulated within secondlens element 19 wherein the polarized film is encapsulated within secondlens element 19 at the time the second lens element 19 is cast orinjection molded. FIG. 11D illustrates the Diffuse Reflecting Lens ofFIG. 8 having a polarized film 31 encapsulated within first lens element16 wherein the polarized film is encapsulated within first lens element16 at the time the first lens element 16 is cast or injection molded.The described encapsulation of a polarized film within a lens elementinvolves methods that are known to the industry.

Regardless of the tint element used to provide the meaningful lightabsorbing function, the tint element is positioned between thereflective medium 27 and the eye of the wearer such as eye 46 of FIG. 2,eye 53 of FIG. 8, eye 54 of FIG. 9 and eye 55 of FIG. 10. The describedtint elements, whether they are in the form of dyes, pre-coloredplastic, vacuum-deposited tint coatings or polarized film, normallyrange in color from varying shades of gray or brown. In addition to theapplication of a tint element, protection against harmful ultravioletlight rays is also provided for by means of treating the lens materialused to create the first and/or second lens elements. The methods andadditives used to treat lens elements for blocking harmful ultravioletlight rays are well known in the industry. Alternatively, in somefashion applications, a light-absorbing tint can be omitted, in whichcase the Diffuse Reflecting Lens can be utilized as a fashion lens. Whennot incorporating a tint element, the Diffuse Reflecting Lens works wellwhen using vacuum-deposited dielectric coatings. This is becausedielectric coatings have the unique ability to reflect brightly in onedirection; that is, they can be made to reflect brightly from the frontside of the Diffuse Reflecting Lens while having little reflection fromthe backside of the Diffuse Reflecting Lens. A Diffuse Reflecting Lensnot incorporating a light-absorbing tint is more suitable for a lowlight environment than for use as a true sunglass lens because it willnot attenuate or absorb as much light.

In another embodiment of the present invention, the front surface of theDiffuse Reflecting Lens such as surface 17 of first lens element 16, asit would apply to the Diffuse Reflecting Lenses of FIGS. 2 and 9, orsurface 21 of second lens element 19, as it would apply to the DiffuseReflecting Lenses of FIGS. 8 and 10, is in the form of ananti-reflective micro pattern such as a micro pattern commonly known asa moth eye micro pattern. A moth eye micro pattern is a type of surfacepattern that can be incorporated into the surface of a transparentsubstrate in lieu of a conventional optically smooth surface that, likea conventional anti-reflective coating, eliminates the majority ofspecular surface reflection coming from that surface while at the sametime allowing light to pass through the surface effectivelyunobstructed. A moth eye micro pattern is a surface pattern and not acoating applied to a surface, as is an anti-reflective coating. On avery small scale, a moth eye micro pattern looks like conical pyramidsor the bottom side of an egg carton. However, the surface pattern is notvisible to the naked eye and does not distort light transmitted throughits surface. A moth eye micro pattern can be formed on the lens surfaceor surfaces during the casting or injection molding process or, ifworking with a thermoplastic such as polycarbonate, it can be embossedinto the described surface or surfaces. A benefit of incorporating amoth eye micro pattern into a Diffuse Reflecting Lens is that iteliminates an additional step of applying an anti-reflective coating. Ina similar manner, if desired, a moth eye micro pattern can beadditionally incorporated into the surface on the backside of theDiffuse Reflecting Lens, such as surface 21 of second lens element 19 ofFIGS. 2 and 9 or surface 17 of first lens element 16 of FIGS. 8 and 10.

An anti-reflective surface treatment such as an anti-reflective coatingor an anti-reflective micro pattern is applied to the front surface ofthe Diffuse Reflecting Lens, such as surface 17 of FIGS. 2 and 9 andsurface 21 of FIGS. 8 and 10, for a number of reasons. First andforemost its purpose is to remove the majority of the specularreflection that would otherwise come from the front surface of theDiffuse Reflecting Lens so that the vast majority of light beingreflected from the Diffuse Reflecting Lens comes from the reflectivemedium itself, in turn allowing for a uniform diffuse omni-directionalreflection substantially void of specular reflection. A second purposeis to increase the amount of light reaching the reflective medium andcorrespondingly increase the amount of light reflected back to anobserver by the same. Because the Diffuse Reflecting Form Texturereflects light in a diffuse manner it does not produce as bright or asconcentrated a reflection as would a polished or optically smoothsurface. Therefore, anything that can be done to improve itsreflectivity short of increasing the amount of reflective medium isbeneficial. It is important to maintain a high level of brightness inreflected light so that an observer sees a uniform diffuseomni-directional reflection and not the eyes of the wearer. Thirdly, itis to reduce internal reflections resulting from light that is reflectedby the reflective medium re-reflecting off the front surface of the lensback toward the eye of the wearer. The subject matter of internalreflections and the use of anti-reflective coatings to counter it arediscussed in the referenced prior art of the present inventor. As iscommon with many conventional sunglass lens types, it is preferred thatan anti-reflective surface treatment also be placed on the surface thatis on the backside of the Diffuse Reflecting Lens adjacent the eye ofthe wearer, such as surface 21 of FIGS. 2 and 9 and surface 17 of FIGS.8 and 10, for the purpose of enhancing the optical performance byreducing reflections off the backside of the lens that would otherwiseinterfere with a wearer's vision.

To illustrate the effect of the anti-reflective coating and how itrelates to the performance of the Diffuse Reflecting Lens, FIGS. 12A and12B illustrate how light reflects from the front side of the DiffuseReflecting Lens of FIG. 2, both with and without anti-reflective coating29 on front surface 17. The manner in which light passes through thelens construction is well understood and described in the prior art.

FIG. 12A depicts the Diffuse Reflecting Lens of FIG. 2 withoutanti-reflective coating 29. Light rays 5 of FIG. 12A represent lightrays 4 reflecting off of surface 17 in a specular manner. It is lightrays 5 of FIG. 12A that are reflected back to an observer in the form ofcoherent images of environmental surroundings such as in the form of theobserver's own reflection. The illustration of FIG. 12A is simplified inthat the drawing depicts all light rays 4 as reflecting off of surface17 in the form of light rays 5 when in fact a portion of light rays 4will also reflect off of reflective medium 27 as well as pass throughthe entire lens construction. The amount of light reflected off ofsurface 17, however, will significantly reduce the perceived reflectionof light coming from reflective medium 27. The illustration of FIG. 12Bdepicts anti-reflective coating 29 allowing light rays 4 to pass throughsurface 17 without being reflected by surface 17, reflect off ofreflective medium 27, and then pass back through surface 17 withoutbeing re-reflected by surface 17. Light rays 5 of FIG. 12B representlight reflected back to an observer in a uniform diffuseomni-directional manner. The anti-reflective coating 29 allows morelight to pass through surface 17 and inhibits the reflection that wouldotherwise be produced by surface 17 to interfere with the reflectionproduced by the reflective medium. As in the illustration of FIG. 12A,the illustration of FIG. 12B is also simplified in that a small portionof light will also reflect off of the anti-reflective coating 29 as wellas pass through the entire lens construction. However, the amount oflight reflected off of the reflective medium 27 is considerably greaterthan the light being reflected off the anti-reflective coating 29.Further, the greater the amount of light being reflected off reflectivemedium 27, the less apparent the reflection coming from anti-reflectivecoating 29 will be. The described effect of the anti-reflective coating29 can similarly be achieved with the moth eye micro pattern. It is tobe understood that the described performance of the anti-reflectivecoating 29 of FIG. 12B also applies to anti-reflective 29 of the DiffuseReflecting Lens of FIG. 9 as well as anti-reflective coating 30 of theDiffuse Reflecting Lenses of FIGS. 8 and 10.

If desired, scratch resistant coatings can be applied to surfaces 17, 21of the Diffuse Reflecting Lenses of FIGS. 2, 8, 9 and 10. Depending onthe type of material used to create first and second lens elements 16and 19, respectively, scratch resistant coatings may or may not beneeded. For example, in the case of the thermoset material commonlyknown as CR39, a trademark of PPG industries, the material is relativelyhard and does not necessarily require scratch resistant coatings. If thematerial used is glass, scratch resistant coatings are not needed. Inthe case of many thermoplastics, such as polycarbonate, scratchresistant coatings are usually required. Most scratch resistant coatingsare applied to the respective surfaces of a lens in liquid form by meansof spin coating or dip coating and then subsequently cured to a hardenedstate. Both dip coating and spin coating are well-known practices commonto the optical industry. As it relates to the Diffuse Reflecting Lens,scratch resistant coatings, if applied, are applied prior to thedescribed application of the anti-reflective coating or coatings. Forexample, if both a scratch resistant coating and an anti-reflectivecoating are applied to an outer surface of the Diffuse Reflecting Lens,such as surface 17 or 21 of FIGS. 2, 8, 9 or 10, the scratch resistantcoating is positioned between the surface it is applied to and theanti-reflective coating. That is to say, for example, if a scratchresistant coating is applied to front surface 17 FIG. 2, then thescratch resistant coating forms the surface to which the anti-reflectivecoating, such as anti-reflective coating 29, is applied. In this case,the scratch resistant coating is positioned between surface 17 andanti-reflective coating 29. If, however, a moth eye micro pattern isused as described, a scratch resistant coating of the conventionalliquid type cannot be used in conjunction with it without negating thedesired function of the moth eye micro pattern. This is because theliquid scratch resistant coating would fill in the surface micro patternand provide in its place a conventional optically smooth surface thatwould reflect light in a specular manner.

If desired, the Diffuse Reflecting Lens can be color tinted to enhanceits aesthetic appearance from an observer's point of view, in which casethe color tint is placed between the reflective medium and an observer,or in other words, on the side of the reflective medium opposite the eyeof the wearer. For example, first lens element 16 of FIGS. 2 and 9 canbe tinted a color of red, blue or yellow to give the Diffuse ReflectingLens of FIGS. 2 and 9 the appearance of the corresponding color from anobserver's point of view. Similarly, second lens element 19 of FIGS. 8and 10 can be color tinted to give the Diffuse Reflecting Lensconstructions of FIGS. 8 and 10 the appearance of the correspondingcolor from an observer's point of view. Similar to the tinting methodspreviously described, depending on the material used to create the lenselement to be colored, it can be tinted by means of molecular catalyticdye or the material used to create the lens element can be pre-coloredprior to casting or injection molding. When providing a color tint foraesthetic purposes, the amount of tint used is minimal in order tominimize its absorbing function. In this case, the purpose of tintingthe described lens element is only to provide color to light reflectedby the reflective medium and not to reduce the amount of lightreflected. An alternative method for adding color to the DiffuseReflecting Lenses of FIGS. 2, 8, 9 and 10 is to simply use a reflectivemedium, such as a vacuum-deposited dielectric coating, that is designedto reflect a desired color such as blue, green or gold.

Once a Diffuse Reflecting Lens construction is complete, it can be cutdown so that it can be installed in an eyewear system of choice. Ifdesired, surface coatings such as the described anti-reflective coatingor coatings can be applied before or after the Diffuse Reflecting Lensis cut down. Two methods, one referred to as an edging process and theother referred to as a stamping process, are commonly employed withinthe optical industry for cutting down an oversize lens as desired. Themethod of cutting down a lens by means of an edging process is commonlypreferred for lenses that are to be installed in a left or right lenslocation of a dual-lens eyewear system. The method of cutting down alens by means of a stamping process mainly applies to a flat sheet lensconstruction made of a thermoplastic material such as polycarbonate. Thestamping process can be used for creating a unitary lens shape from anuncut Diffuse Reflecting Lens made of a thermoplastic as a flat sheetconstruction

The size and shape of an uncut Diffuse Reflecting Lens and a DiffuseReflecting Lens that has been cut down so that it can be installed in aneyewear system is determined by its perimeter. That is, a given shapeand a given perimeter length will determine the size of the lens. Theuncut Diffuse Reflecting Lens 23 of FIG. 1 is shown again in FIG. 13A inplan view from the front side wherein the shape and size of uncutDiffuse Reflecting Lens 23 of FIG. 1 is depicted by perimeter 33 of FIG.13A. The uncut Diffuse Reflecting Lens 23 of FIG. 13A is shown again inFIG. 13B after being cut down, such as by means of an edging process, sothat it can be installed in a dual-lens eyewear system such as thatdepicted in FIG. 14. The cut down Diffuse Reflecting Lens 23 of FIG. 13Bis shown in plan view from the front side. The shape and size of the cutdown Diffuse Reflecting Lens 23 of FIG. 13B is depicted by perimeter 34.

In FIG. 14 there is shown an eyewear system 24 having a frame 26 andtemples 25. Eyewear system 24 represents a dual-lens eyewear system andis shown from the front side, or in other words, from an observer'spoint of view. Viewed from the front side, a dual-lens eyewear systemhas a left lens location and a right lens location such that, as worn,the left lens location corresponds to a wearer's right eye and the rightlens location corresponds to a wearer's left eye. The cut down DiffuseReflecting Lens 23 of FIG. 13B is shown again in FIG. 14 prior to beinginstalled in the right lens location of dual-lens eyewear system 24.Diffuse Reflecting Lens 23 of FIG. 14 is shown from the front side. FIG.15 depicts a Diffuse Reflecting Lens 35 that has been cut down in theform of a unitary lens shape from a flat sheet lens construction so thatit can be installed in a unitary lens eyewear system. The cut downDiffuse Reflecting Lens 35 of FIG. 15 is shown in plan view from thefront side. The shape and size of the cut down Diffuse Reflecting Lens35 FIG. 15 is depicted by perimeter 36. FIG. 16 shows the DiffuseReflecting Lens of FIG. 15 installed in a goggle. The methods describedfor cutting down a Diffuse Reflecting Lens serve only as examples of aproven means for doing so and are by no means intended to narrow thescope of the invention. The Diffuse Reflecting Lens of the presentinvention can be manufactured and marketed as an uncut DiffuseReflecting Lens to other manufacturers or it can be cut down andinstalled in an eyewear system and marketed as a finished product. Inthe case of it being marketed as an uncut Diffuse Reflecting Lens, theintent is for the purchaser to cut down the uncut Diffuse ReflectingLens and install it in an eyewear system of choice. It is well knownthat commonly available eyewear systems and the common lenses that comeinstalled in them are manufactured in many different sizes and shapesand that logos or other decorative effects can be and commonly arepositioned around the periphery of a lens area, outside a wearer'snormal line of sight, without appreciably defining or affecting theappearance of the lens. In view of this, the application of the DiffuseReflecting Form Texture within a Diffuse Reflecting Lens is describedrelative to a defined major optical area. The major optical areaencompasses the majority of the Diffuse Reflecting Lens that is used forviewing purposes. The major optical area applies to the first surface ofthe first lens element and is used to describe the portion of the firstsurface that, at a minimum, is comprised of the Diffuse Reflecting FormTexture within a Diffuse Reflecting Lens.

The size and shape of the major optical area within a Diffuse ReflectingLens is dependant on the size and shape of the particular DiffuseReflecting Lens whether it be an uncut Diffuse Reflecting Lens or aDiffuse Reflecting Lens that has been cut down to a desired shape andsize. As defined herein, the perimeter of a Diffuse Reflecting Lens hasedge points located at all points along its perimeter. The major opticalarea of the first surface within a Diffuse Reflecting Lens is, asdefined herein, the entire surface area of the first surface of thefirst lens element excluding all portions of the first surface withinsix millimeters of any nearest edge point along the perimeter of theDiffuse Reflecting Lens.

FIG. 17 illustrates the major optical area 37 of the uncut DiffuseReflecting Lens 23 of FIG. 13A. The uncut Diffuse Reflecting Lens 23 ofFIG. 17 is shown in plan view from the front side. Dashed line 38 ofFIG. 17 outlines area 37 of FIG. 17 within perimeter 33. Crosshatchedarea 39 of FIG. 17 represents the portion of the first surface outsideof major optical area 37. Major optical area 37 of FIG. 17 is the entiresurface area of the first surface excluding all portions of the firstsurface within six millimeters of any nearest edge point along perimeter33. For example, point 40 of FIG. 17 represents a single point alongdashed line 38, and point 41 of FIG. 17 represents the nearest edgepoint along perimeter 33 to point 40. The distance between point 40 and41 is six millimeters.

FIG. 18 illustrates the major optical area 44 of the cut down DiffuseReflecting Lens 23 of FIG. 13B. Diffuse Reflecting Lens 23 of FIG. 18 isshown in plan view from the front side. Dashed line 45 of FIG. 18outlines area 44 of FIG. 18 within perimeter 34. Crosshatched area 42 ofFIG. 18 is the portion of the first surface outside of major opticalarea 44. Major optical area 44 of FIG. 18 is the entire surface area ofthe first surface, excluding all portions of the first surface withinsix millimeters of any nearest edge point along perimeter 34. Forexample, point 52 of FIG. 18 represents a single point along dashed line45, and point 43 FIG. 18 represents the nearest edge point alongperimeter 34 to point 52. The distance between point 52 and 43 is sixmillimeters.

FIG. 19 illustrates the major optical area 48 of the cut down DiffuseReflecting Lens 35 of FIG. 15. Diffuse Reflecting Lens 35 of FIG. 19 isshown in plan view from the front side. Dashed line 47 of FIG. 19outlines area 48 of FIG. 19 within perimeter 36. Crosshatched area 51 ofFIG. 19 is the portion of the first surface outside of major opticalarea 48. Major optical area 48 of FIG. 19 is the entire surface area ofthe first surface, excluding all portions of the first surface withinsix millimeters of any nearest edge point along perimeter 36. Forexample, point 49 FIG. 19 represents a single point along dashed line47, and point 50 of FIG. 19 represents the nearest edge point alongperimeter 36 to point 49. The distance between point 49 and 50 is sixmillimeters.

No less than the entire surface area of the first surface within themajor optical area of an uncut Diffuse Reflecting Lens, or a DiffuseReflecting Lens that has been cut down to a desired shape and size, iscomprised of the Diffuse Reflecting Form Texture.

1. A diffuse reflecting lens comprising: a first light transmitting lenselement having first and second surfaces, said first surface having amajor optical area, said first surface within said major optical areacomprising a diffuse reflecting form texture; a reflective mediumapplied to at least a portion of said diffuse reflecting form texture,said reflective medium being sufficiently thin to reflect only afraction of the light impinging thereon, the remainder of the impinginglight passing through said reflective medium, said reflective mediumapplied to said diffuse reflecting form texture representing a preparedfirst surface of said first light transmitting lens element; a lighttransmitting adhesive layer applied to said prepared first surface, saidlight transmitting adhesive layer having fifth and sixth surfaces, saidfifth surface of said light transmitting adhesive layer conforming tosaid prepared first surface of said first light transmitting lenselement; and a second light transmitting lens element having third andfourth surfaces, said fourth surface of said second light transmittinglens element being in contact with said sixth surface of said lighttransmitting adhesive layer; said second surface of said first lighttransmitting lens element and said third surface of said second lighttransmitting lens element forming outer surfaces of said diffusereflecting lens.
 2. A diffuse reflecting lens as in claim 1, said secondsurface forming a front surface and said third surface forming a backsurface.
 3. A diffuse reflecting lens as in claim 1, said third surfaceforming a front surface and said second surface forming a back surface.4. A diffuse reflecting lens as in claim 2, said reflective medium beingapplied to an entire surface area of said diffuse reflecting formtexture.
 5. A diffuse reflecting lens as in claim 3, said reflectivemedium being applied to an entire surface area of said diffusereflecting form texture.
 6. A diffuse reflecting lens as in claim 2, anentire surface area of said first surface comprising said diffusereflecting form texture.
 7. A diffuse reflecting lens as in claim 3, anentire surface area of said first surface comprising said diffusereflecting form texture.
 8. A diffuse reflecting lens as in claim 2, anentire surface area of said first surface comprising said diffusereflecting form texture and said reflective medium being applied to anentire surface area of said diffuse reflecting form texture.
 9. Adiffuse reflecting lens as in claim 3, an entire surface area of saidfirst surface comprising said diffuse reflecting form texture and saidreflective medium being applied to an entire surface area of saiddiffuse reflecting form texture.
 10. A diffuse reflecting lens as inclaim 2, further comprising a polarized film encapsulated within saidlight transmitting adhesive layer.
 11. A diffuse reflecting lens as inclaim 4, further comprising a polarized film encapsulated within saidlight transmitting adhesive layer.
 12. A diffuse reflecting lens as inclaim 6, further comprising a polarized film encapsulated within saidlight transmitting adhesive layer.
 13. A diffuse reflecting lens as inclaim 8, further comprising a polarized film encapsulated within saidlight transmitting adhesive layer.
 14. A diffuse reflecting lens as inclaim 2, further comprising an anti-reflective coating applied to saidfront surface.
 15. A diffuse reflecting lens as in claim 2, furthercomprising a scratch resistant coating applied to said front surface andan anti-reflective coating applied to said scratch resistant coating.16. A diffuse reflecting lens as in claim 4, further comprising ananti-reflective coating applied to said front surface.
 17. A diffusereflecting lens as in claim 4, further comprising a scratch resistantcoating applied to said front surface and an anti-reflective coatingapplied to said scratch resistant coating.
 18. A diffuse reflecting lensas in claim 6, further comprising an anti-reflective coating applied tosaid front surface.
 19. A diffuse reflecting lens as in claim 6, furthercomprising a scratch resistant coating applied to said front surface andan anti-reflective coating applied to said scratch resistant coating.20. A diffuse reflecting lens as in claim 8, further comprising ananti-reflective coating applied to said front surface.
 21. A diffusereflecting lens as in claim 8, further comprising a scratch resistantcoating applied to said front surface and an anti-reflective coatingapplied to said scratch resistant coating.
 22. A diffuse reflecting lensas in claim 10, further comprising an anti-reflective coating applied tosaid front surface.
 23. A diffuse reflecting lens as in claim 10,further comprising a scratch resistant coating applied to said frontsurface and an anti-reflective coating applied to said scratch resistantcoating.
 24. A diffuse reflecting lens as in claim 11, furthercomprising an anti-reflective coating applied to said front surface. 25.A diffuse reflecting lens as in claim 11, further comprising a scratchresistant coating applied to said front surface and an anti-reflectivecoating applied to said scratch resistant coating.
 26. A diffusereflecting lens as in claim 12, further comprising an anti-reflectivecoating applied to said front surface.
 27. A diffuse reflecting lens asin claim 12, further comprising a scratch resistant coating applied tosaid front surface and an anti-reflective coating applied to saidscratch resistant coating.
 28. A diffuse reflecting lens as in claim 13,further comprising an anti-reflective coating applied to said frontsurface.
 29. A diffuse reflecting lens as in claim 13, furthercomprising a scratch resistant coating applied to said front surface andan anti-reflective coating applied to said scratch resistant coating.30. A diffuse reflecting lens as in claim 2, said front surfacecomprising an anti-reflective moth-eye micro pattern.
 31. A diffusereflecting lens as in claim 4, said front surface comprising ananti-reflective moth-eye micro pattern.
 32. A diffuse reflecting lens asin claim 6, said front surface comprising an anti-reflective moth-eyemicro pattern.
 33. A diffuse reflecting lens as in claim 8, said frontsurface comprising an anti-reflective moth-eye micro pattern.
 34. Adiffuse reflecting lens as in claim 10, said front surface comprising ananti-reflective moth-eye micro pattern.
 35. A diffuse reflecting lens asin claim 11, said front surface comprising an anti-reflective moth-eyemicro pattern.
 36. A diffuse reflecting lens as in claim 12, said frontsurface comprising an anti-reflective moth-eye micro pattern.
 37. Adiffuse reflecting lens as in claim 13, said front surface comprising ananti-reflective moth-eye micro pattern.
 38. A diffuse reflecting lens asin claim 3, further comprising an anti-reflective coating applied tosaid front surface.
 39. A diffuse reflecting lens as in claim 3, furthercomprising a scratch resistant coating applied to said front surface andan anti-reflective coating applied to said scratch resistant coating.40. A diffuse reflecting lens as in claim 5, further comprising ananti-reflective coating applied to said front surface.
 41. A diffusereflecting lens as in claim 5, further comprising a scratch resistantcoating applied to said front surface and an anti-reflective coatingapplied to said scratch resistant coating.
 42. A diffuse reflecting lensas in claim 7, further comprising an anti-reflective coating applied tosaid front surface.
 43. A diffuse reflecting lens as in claim 7, furthercomprising a scratch resistant coating applied to said front surface andan anti-reflective coating applied to said scratch resistant coating.44. A diffuse reflecting lens as in claim 9, further comprising ananti-reflective coating applied to said front surface.
 45. A diffusereflecting lens as in claim 9, further comprising a scratch resistantcoating applied to said front surface and an anti-reflective coatingapplied to said scratch resistant coating.
 46. A diffuse reflecting lensas in claim 3, said front surface comprising an anti-reflective moth-eyemicro pattern.
 47. A diffuse reflecting lens as in claim 5, said frontsurface comprising an anti-reflective moth-eye micro pattern.
 48. Adiffuse reflecting lens as in claim 7, said front surface comprising ananti-reflective moth-eye micro pattern.
 49. A diffuse reflecting lens asin claim 9, said front surface comprising an anti-reflective moth-eyemicro pattern.
 50. A diffuse reflecting lens comprising: a first lighttransmitting lens element having first and second surfaces, said firstsurface having a major optical area, said first surface within saidmajor optical area comprising a diffuse reflecting form texture; areflective medium applied to at least a portion of said diffusereflecting form texture, said reflective medium being sufficiently thinto reflect only a fraction of the light impinging thereon, the remainderof the impinging light passing through said reflective medium, saidreflective medium applied to said diffuse reflecting form texturerepresenting a prepared first surface of said first light transmittinglens element; a second light transmitting lens element applied to saidprepared first surface, said second light transmitting lens elementhaving third and fourth surfaces, said fourth surface of said secondlight transmitting lens element conforming to the surface of saidprepared first surface of said first light transmitting lens element;said second surface of said first light transmitting lens element andsaid third surface of said second light transmitting lens elementforming outer surfaces of said diffuse reflecting lens.
 51. A diffusereflecting lens as in claim 50, said second surface forming a frontsurface and said third surface forming a back surface.
 52. A diffusereflecting lens as in claim 50, said third surface forming a frontsurface and said second surface forming a back surface.
 53. A diffusereflecting lens as in claim 51, said reflective medium being applied toan entire surface area of said diffuse reflecting form texture.
 54. Adiffuse reflecting lens as in claim 52, said reflective medium beingapplied to an entire surface area of said diffuse reflecting formtexture.
 55. A diffuse reflecting lens as in claim 51, an entire surfacearea of said first surface comprising said diffuse reflecting formtexture.
 56. A diffuse reflecting lens as in claim 52, an entire surfacearea of said first surface comprising said diffuse reflecting formtexture.
 57. A diffuse reflecting lens as in claim 51, an entire surfacearea of said first surface comprising said diffuse reflecting formtexture and said reflecting medium being applied to an entire surfacearea of said diffuse reflecting form texture.
 58. A diffuse reflectinglens as in claim 52, an entire surface area of said first surfacecomprising said diffuse reflecting form texture and said reflectingmedium being applied to an entire surface area of said diffusereflecting form texture.
 59. A diffuse reflecting lens as in claim 51,further comprising an anti-reflective coating applied to said frontsurface.
 60. A diffuse reflecting lens as in claim 51, furthercomprising a scratch resistant coating applied to said front surface andan anti-reflective coating applied to said scratch resistant coating.61. A diffuse reflecting lens as in claim 53, further comprising ananti-reflective coating applied to said front surface.
 62. A diffusereflecting lens as in claim 53, further comprising a scratch resistantcoating applied to said front surface and an anti-reflective coatingapplied to said scratch resistant coating.
 63. A diffuse reflecting lensas in claim 55, further comprising an anti-reflective coating applied tosaid front surface.
 64. A diffuse reflecting lens as in claim 55,further comprising a scratch resistant coating applied to said frontsurface and an anti-reflective coating applied to said scratch resistantcoating.
 65. A diffuse reflecting lens as in claim 57, furthercomprising an anti-reflective coating applied to said front surface. 66.A diffuse reflecting lens as in claim 57, further comprising a scratchresistant coating applied to said front surface and an anti-reflectivecoating applied to said scratch resistant coating.
 67. A diffusereflecting lens as in claim 51, said front surface comprising ananti-reflective moth-eye micro pattern.
 68. A diffuse reflecting lens asin claim 53, said front surface comprising an anti-reflective moth-eyemicro pattern.
 69. A diffuse reflecting lens as in claim 55, said frontsurface comprising an anti-reflective moth-eye micro pattern.
 70. Adiffuse reflecting lens as in claim 57, said front surface comprising ananti-reflective moth-eye micro pattern.
 71. A diffuse reflecting lens asin claim 52, further comprising an anti-reflective coating applied tosaid front surface.
 72. A diffuse reflecting lens as in claim 52,further comprising a scratch resistant coating applied to said frontsurface and an anti-reflective coating applied to said scratch resistantcoating.
 73. A diffuse reflecting lens as in claim 54, furthercomprising an anti-reflective coating applied to said front surface. 74.A diffuse reflecting lens as in claim 54, further comprising a scratchresistant coating applied to said front surface and an anti-reflectivecoating applied to said scratch resistant coating.
 75. A diffusereflecting lens as in claim 56, further comprising an anti-reflectivecoating applied to said front surface.
 76. A diffuse reflecting lens asin claim 56, further comprising a scratch resistant coating applied tosaid front surface and an anti-reflective coating applied to saidscratch resistant coating.
 77. A diffuse reflecting lens as in claim 58,further comprising an anti-reflective coating applied to said frontsurface.
 78. A diffuse reflecting lens as in claim 58, furthercomprising a scratch resistant coating applied to said front surface andan anti-reflective coating applied to said scratch resistant coating.79. A diffuse reflecting lens as in claim 52, said front surfacecomprising an anti-reflective moth-eye micro pattern.
 80. A diffusereflecting lens as in claim 54, said front surface comprising ananti-reflective moth-eye micro pattern.
 81. A diffuse reflecting lens asin claim 56, said front surface comprising an anti-reflective moth-eyemicro pattern.
 82. A diffuse reflecting lens as in claim 58, said frontsurface comprising an anti-reflective moth-eye micro pattern.